{"id":158249,"date":"2025-11-25T05:16:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T05:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/158249\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T05:16:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T05:16:08","slug":"ines-de-la-fressange-open-to-new-investors-as-it-gears-up-for-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/158249\/","title":{"rendered":"In\u00e8s de la Fressange Open to New Investors as It Gears Up for Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tPARIS \u2014 Ten years after relaunching her brand, In\u00e8s de la Fressange<\/a> is gearing up for expansion, with plans to grow the label\u2019s retail footprint, accelerate e-commerce and expand into fragrance with the launch of a new scent next year.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a joint interview, de la Fressange and Fabrice Bo\u00e9, chairman and chief executive officer of her namesake brand, said they hope to open several stores in key fashion capitals, with the aim of reaching 10 million euros in revenue within three years. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re looking for partners to support our investment plans,\u201d Bo\u00e9 said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur current shareholders have been with us since 2013, so this might be a good time to refresh the ownership structure and bring in additional resources to accelerate. We\u2019ve proven the brand works, the model works, and the structure is in place \u2014 we\u2019re ready to grow, as long as we have the capital,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n\tDe la Fressange, who rose to fame as the model and muse of Karl Lagerfeld<\/a> at Chanel<\/a> in the 1980s, initially launched her brand in 1991, but split with her former backers<\/a> in 1999.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2013, the style icon and Roger Vivier brand ambassador signed for a collaboration with Japanese fast-fashion giant Uniqlo<\/a> while relaunching her label, following its acquisition by a consortium including Dubai-based venture capital firm The Luxury Fund and Calao Finance, which has since merged into French investment management company Acer Finance.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe brand made its official comeback in 2015 with the opening of a flagship boutique<\/a> on Rue de Grenelle on the Left Bank. De la Fressange recently celebrated the store\u2019s 10th anniversary with a party attended by designers Alexandre Mattiussi, Guillaume Henry and Elie Top, which saw the venue decked out like a country house.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA look from In\u00e8s de la Fressange\u2019s fall 2025 collection. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of In\u00e8s de la Fressange<\/p>\n

\n\tSinger Albert Newton performed in front of a bathtub in striped pajamas from the brand\u2019s collaboration with French brand Dim, while its recently launched fridge \u2014 developed with Smeg \u2014 was stocked with nonalcoholic pi\u00f1a coladas courtesy of organic caf\u00e9 Wild & the Moon. De la Fressange posed with guests sprawled on a double bed.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe French sometimes have a reputation for being a bit stiff, but this felt more like an English party,\u201d the 68-year-old recalled. The author of the style guide \u201cLa Parisienne,\u201d which has sold more than one million copies worldwide, was especially pleased to see her designs on guests in their 20s.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe last few years haven\u2019t been easy for brands that are positioned between luxury and mass market,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s still the toughest segment to be in, so I was pretty proud to celebrate this milestone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tA Balanced Retail Mix\t<\/p>\n

\n\tA year ago, In\u00e8s de la Fressange opened its second Paris store in the chic 16th arrondissement, and it has a third directly operated boutique in the Alpine town of Annecy, in addition to half-a-dozen corners in department stores including Le Bon March\u00e9 and Galeries Lafayette.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe brand is available in around 150 doors worldwide, including 40 in the U.S. \u201cWe started in France and Europe, made solid headway in Italy, Germany and the U.K., and now the United States is on the way to becoming our leading market,\u201d said Bo\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlready present in two Coin department stores in Italy, the label will eventually be sold in seven or eight branches as they reopen following renovations, he said. It\u2019s also arriving at Manor in Geneva.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAfter the coronavirus pandemic, we really questioned the future of physical stores, but our Grenelle location has been doing extremely well. It is up versus last year, which was up already versus the year before, and it just keeps progressing. Online is growing the fastest, but our physical retail is performing very well,\u201d the executive reported.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"celebrity<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tIn\u00e8s de la Fressange at Chanel<\/a>\u2019s spring 2025 show.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStephane Feugere\/WWD<\/p>\n

\n\tIn\u00e8s de la Fressange now makes a quarter of its revenues online, with e-commerce sales up 33 percent year-over-year between January and September, Bo\u00e9 added. It\u2019s carried by platforms including Zalando, Miinto and the Galeries Lafayette website. \u201cThere\u2019s still room for growth,\u201d he opined.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe label is also mulling more stand-alone stores worldwide.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOur first choices would be Milan, London, New York, and then a few key cities in Asia,\u201d said Bo\u00e9. \u201cThese projects require significant investment for a brand like ours, so we either bring investors into the parent company to give us the means to move forward, or we find strong local partners. Both options are on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBo\u00e9 declined to reveal the brand\u2019s revenues, but said it\u2019s at breakeven.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe haven\u2019t yet reached our target of 10 million euros, but we\u2019ll be up this year. As of end-September, we were up 10 percent year-to-date compared with the same period in 2024,\u201d he said. \u201cThe economic context isn\u2019t great, but we believe we can meet our goal within two or three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tCourting the Daughters\t<\/p>\n

\n\tThe brand recently brought on Romain Tr\u00e9buil, the former cofounder and CEO of sustainable running apparel and footwear brand Circle Sportswear, as deputy CEO, charged with helping Bo\u00e9 implement a new strategic road map designed to accelerate the brand\u2019s development and international reach.<\/p>\n

\n\tUnder Tr\u00e9buil\u2019s purview, In\u00e8s de la Fressange has started to revamp its visual communication.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor the last 10 years, we\u2019ve operated without fashion shows and with very few images, because it\u2019s expensive to hire photographers and models. That\u2019s pretty unusual. Now, I really hope we\u2019ll be able to showcase the work more because until now, our ambassadors and influencers have been essentially our clients,\u201d said de la Fressange.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA look from In\u00e8s de la Fressange\u2019s fall 2025 collection. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of In\u00e8s de la Fressange<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019d like to share more of what we do and how the pieces are worn, and above all, not be the only face of the brand,\u201d added the former model, who designs her collections with Eric Berg\u00e8re. \u201cI love seeing different generations come into the store together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSince the end of its 10-year partnership with Uniqlo<\/a> in 2023, In\u00e8s de la Fressange has collaborated with other brands, most recently cashmere label Linnea Lund.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s looking for a new footwear licensee, after breaking up with its previous partner last year due to delivery delays, and recently inked a perfume license with Cr\u00e9ation Beaut\u00e9 International that should see a first fragrance launch next year.<\/p>\n

\n\tDe la Fressange, who is preparing to publish a new book focused on Provence, said the deal with Uniqlo<\/a> boosted brand recognition worldwide. While her own label\u2019s positioning is higher, it offers a more down-to-earth alternative to luxury brands, who have put off even well-heeled consumers with repeated price hikes, she said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI even do my fittings in the store before it opens. That\u2019s what\u2019s fun: this very hands-on, artisanal way of working, when all you hear about is big luxury groups, huge investments, and brands being gobbled up, usually by the same people. We\u2019re really outliers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re showing that this model can work, where I still function exactly as I did with Karl: standing with the model, working on the toile, adjusting it by hand. That\u2019s how I learned, and I\u2019m happy it\u2019s paying off, that women can feel the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PARIS \u2014 Ten years after relaunching her brand, In\u00e8s de la Fressange is gearing up for expansion, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158250,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[14245,61,88943,60,3884,80,20619],"class_list":["post-158249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-chanel","tag-ie","tag-inu00e8s-de-la-fressange","tag-ireland","tag-karl-lagerfeld","tag-technology","tag-uniqlo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}